Commercial drive

Commercial drive is about applying a business and customer-focused approach, and demonstrating the commitment to deliver results that create value for organisations.

As people professionals, we have a responsibility to ensure we focus on the things that create the most value for people and business. This means identifying and delivering on the people issues, opportunities and risks that will have the most impact on the performance and success of organisations.

It also means working in a way which is customer and business-focused, and developing resilience and a sense of responsibility. Understanding the financial implications of work and proving the business case for proposals – whilst remaining resilient despite challenges, and delivering outcomes with business benefits – enables us to create value within our work. We also play a critical role in enabling people change and transition to maximise benefit and mitigate risk.

This behaviour particularly supports the core knowledge areas of Business acumen and Change.

Foundation level

At this level you will:

Show a keen interest in the organisation, its goals, its performance and external influences
Identify the steps to achieve agreed tasks and goals
Demonstrate that you are customer-focused in your work
Demonstrate that you are cost-conscious in your work
Demonstrate drive to deliver to a high standard
Persevere in the face of difficulties
Support others through change and transition

Associate level

At this level you will:

Demonstrate curiosity about how the organisation generates revenue, its strategy, and how people contribute to its success
Identify and focus your attention on people issues that will impact on business performance
Engage with customers to understand their needs and improve their experiences
Carefully consider the financial and operational implications of your choices
Take responsibility to provide pragmatic and timely advice and deliver solutions that meet business needs
Show determination and drive to deliver results and overcome challenges
Enable business change and transition by providing effective people advice and approaches

Chartered Member level

At this level you will:

Continuously build a strong understanding of the sector, the organisation’s business model, and where value is created and lost
Prioritise people practices, opportunities and risks that drive sustained commercial success and value for people
Partner with customers to understand their current and future needs, and contract effectively
Develop and present robust business cases using evidence to demonstrate a return on investment
Take responsibility and demonstrate commitment to deliver business outcomes and benefits
Demonstrate resilience in the face of setbacks, uncertainty or ambiguity and find a way forward
Enable business change through understanding of culture, capability and structure whilst mitigating people risks and maximising benefits

Chartered Fellow level

At this level you will:

Continuously build a deep understanding of the business model and external context to anticipate future risks and issues
Focus on driving value through the alignment of people strategy with commercial strategies
Create a culture that prioritises the understanding of customer needs to enhance customer value
Evidence the strategic value of investment in people to a wide range of stakeholders
Take responsibility for the creation of shared value through people strategy
Model resilience through your leadership of others, creating a sense of direction in challenging times
Select and deploy the change levers which create the greatest value for the organisation and its people in the long term

Things to start thinking about

Use these prompts to reflect on your understanding of Commercial drive and uncover areas for future professional development.

Where is value created and lost in your organisation, and how can you positively impact it?
What business outcomes or benefits have you delivered in the last 12 months and what evidence do you have of their impact?
To what extent do you understand the current and future needs of customers? (This could be both your internal customers as well as the organisation’s external customers.)
How could you improve the outcomes of people change and transition?